project life: week ten

Week Ten, and I still can't believe I'm (almost) all caught up and on top of things. I am loving how this book is coming together this year. Overall, it seems more cohesive without me really trying which is such a relief and energy/time saver.

I am making some changes around my house - call it a "cabin fever breakout" as we move out of the winter season. I am craving freshness. I started with the kitchen and am currently working on the living room. I am making some brave decisions with paint color and going for it…so far I've only had to repaint one small wall and I call that a success. We got a small snow this week which I always think is a magical aspect of winter - "magic" stamp from Elise Joy.

I absolutely dig those wood veneer frames from the February kit…I'm definitely going to have to find some more of those. I would think that would be a very practical purchase. ;)

I also realized that I would like to work on taking more pictures of myself. I tend to shy away from the camera, so I'd like to at least get comfortable in front of it and I would think that would be easy if I was the one snapping the pics. But then I look at them and see something wrong or feel cheesy or whatever and delete. I'd like to stop doing that…this is my life being documented and I need to be a part of it. So, here's to taking more self-portraits…

Oh, and I have to admit something. I caved. I purchased a Silhouette Portrait. Yep. It's true. Psst…I.love.it. 

Weekly Supplies used (that weren't noted otherwise): Seafoam Core Kit, Studio Calico Monthly Project Life subscription, Design A photo pages, American Crafts Slick Writer, black Uni-Ball fine point pen, Fiskars 1/2-inch corner rounder, Martha Stewart Avery labels from Staples. I print all photos at home.

project life: week nine

Since we are still in the month of March, I wanted to do a more in-depth post about spreads, and then continue this kind of post throughout the year now that we're all caught up.  So, here we have Week Nine. And I have to say that I am totally enjoying this year so much more than last year. Don't get me wrong, I have loved Project Life since the second I began, but this year is different. Maybe I am looking at it more simply, maybe I'm not trying to get over my head with feeling like I have document everything in a creative way, or perhaps it could be the thrill of adding new goodies in from the monthly kits. Whatever it is, it's totally working.

Here is the full spread with some pics, some journaling, lots of journal tags with writing, and a full pocket dedicated to my March bold intention from One Little Word just so I wouldn't forget it. Those are absolutely my favorite Thickers - big, bold, thick, and I have no clue what their specific name is. I'm hoping to run into them again somewhere so I won't have to take deep breaths before I use them for fear of running out. Yes, I have caught myself doing that. I know…call me what you will.

 My phone case makes me so happy.

Please don't mind the ridiculous picture of my older brother that he sent me through Snapchat. He would be mortified if he read this blog and saw it. I just thought it was too hilarious not to share, and I rarely have pictures of him, so there it went. Because this week ventured into the month of March, I included a calendar card with the kit's washi tape (love!!) to mark the new month. And let me tell you about the awesome addition on this side! You see that coffee wrap? Horizontal 3x4s fit perfectly in them and pop a tab from Evalicious on that sucker and you've got some hidden journaling just waiting to be pulled like in a pop-up book.

Isn't it awesome? And gives such nice dimension to the page. Love it.

Weekly Supplies used (that weren't noted otherwise): Seafoam Core Kit, Studio Calico Monthly Project Life subscription, Design A photo pages, American Crafts Slick Writer, black Uni-Ball fine point pen, Fiskars 1/2-inch corner rounder, Martha Stewart Avery labels from Staples. I print all photos at home. 

project life: weeks six-eight

You're back for more! Yay!

Week Six is the first to greet you, and luckily this is another one of my fave's so far this year…which I think makes 3 now. Guess I'll need to up my expectations of myself in terms of what makes the cut. This is just a regular ole week in the life of me. I met up with Danielle from Dinosaur Toes for lunch (which was SO fun!) and documented it on one of her large business cards. You check out her awesome jewelry! One of the aspects about this spread that I love so much is that "Yes" stamp that I stamped, embossed with white embossing powder, cut out, and then attached with a pop dot on the outside of the plastic to link those two pockets together. I can see this type of embellishment becoming a regular feature…so fun.


Week Seven. Week of hearts and the color red. This was the week I received a wonderful gift of several die-cuts after a request on the SC message boards, so I just had to include them.


This week, Week Eight, I used the left side for general weekly happenings (I painted!!)…


…and I documented my weekend trip to Greensboro to visit my bestie on the whole right side. I thought our weekend deserved it. I included an insert (cut down a regular page protector and stitch the open sides) holding my dog's "report card" from the kennel about she played well with others and befriended a beagle named Maggie. How could I not include this?! I also used one of my own stamps. "It's True" on the top right card, which you can find in my Etsy shop.

Weekly Supplies used (that weren't noted otherwise): Seafoam Core Kit, Studio Calico Monthly Project Life subscription, Design A photo pages, American Crafts Slick Writer, black Uni-Ball fine point pen, Fiskars 1/2-inch corner rounder, Martha Stewart Avery labels from Staples. I print all photos at home.

So, now we are through February and onto March. Again, thanks for sticking around, and I hope you come back tomorrow for more!

project life: weeks one-five

I'm all caught up and current with my Project Life, but I've been wanting to share my past spreads, and then regularly post after I complete each current week…but I haven't. But, like they say - there's no time like the present!

Like the smart gal that I am, I'll start off with Week One. I didn't do anything too exciting to ring in the new year, but I did go out of town for the night to a college friend's house for some hang time. As usual, our pets were a main source of entertainment. Being that it was the first of a new month, I used the January calendar card from Paislee Press and added my own washi tape to the top. Nothing too fancy with this spread, although I did go back and add the "hello 2013" card that came with the January Project Life Kit from Studio Calico. I remember being totally giddy with excitement over working with the Seafoam Core Kit. So awesome.


And on to Week Two. This, so far, is one of my favorite spreads. The cohesiveness is great, and I love the soft color palette. I started working on my One Little Word binder, and included a little section with an example of my monthly intention cards and a photo of the process. Did some on-photo journaling with my picture from setting goals using handouts from the I Choose class (which I would greatly recommend to anyone working on setting an achieving goals). I also included a finished version of a bridal shower invitation I designed and made for a friend, along with some journaling using the color scheme and backside of the invites, and a small 3x4 photo of the envelopes drying to save an image of that design. It was such a fun work project!! That awesome round chevron stamp on the "BE" card is by Mer Tilton from her Hoilday Pop-Up Shop…I love it stamped in white on that kraft card stock. "Hello Life" round tag is from Ali Edwards' Circle of Life digital file, which I printed and cut with a circle punch.


Week Three. Random photos, random journaling, and documentation of our first snow of 2013. I dedicated the strip of 3x4s on the right side to a day trip up to Charlottesville I took with a friend - it was quite a fun day so I knew it deserved more than just one slot…and physical memorabilia of my teeny gelato spoon. Love it in that slot. Just love it. I still can't believe we didn't step foot in Anthropologie. Some exciting news from this week: my best pal from high school had her first baby, so naturally his sweet birth announcement had to be included.


Week Four…another fave spread. Except I'm still waiting for a picture to go in that bottom right 4x6 slot…of course I had to leave a decorative reminder. ;) I'm making journaling a priority this year and not just on 3x4s or empty space on photos, and also including journaling my thoughts on different areas of my life that don't really have anything to do with that week or the week's pictures specifically. This particular one (left side, top right) was just about how my youngest niece Luna was starting to spend all day at my house on Wednesdays, as long as she got a good belly tickle to go to sleep at nap of course. That awesome turq, orange, and yellow 3x4 is from Paislee Press' press cards no. 14 digital kit that I printed - a great and simple way to get the details down for an event. I'm almost obsessed with all things Paislee Press - that gal Liz's knack for design is just impeccable.


And finally (for now), we have Week Five. Seems to be a mash up of events from the week that surprisingly work well together…and of course some journaling. I stepped out on a limb and actually included a slice of the wine cork from dinner Thursday night - love the outcome. Anything three-dimensional on project life spreads is a win for me. To mark the beginning of February, I included another calendar card  from Paislee Press (see?!) with my own washi addition to the top. And just to make my case known, the woodgrain journaling card on the bottom right is also from Liz which I love because of the versatility and woodgrain effect AND that awesome pink "Hello" printed on vellum. My printer was having some issues that day, but I'm trying so hard to look past it and not be so OCD that I have to do a redo of the woodgrain. We'll see.

Weekly Supplies used (that weren't noted otherwise): Seafoam Core Kit, Studio Calico Monthly Project Life subscription, Design A photo pages, American Crafts Slick Writer, black Uni-Ball fine point pen, Fiskars 1/2-inch corner rounder, Martha Stewart Avery labels from Staples. I print all photos at home.

So, there you have it. The first month of 2013 documented and shared. Thanks for hanging in there.

There is definitely more to come…

oh spring, where art thou?

Spring is officially here. Yet, it's 29 degrees and we got a few inches of snow this weekend. Don't get me wrong…I'm not on here to join the masses in a big b*tchfest over the lack of warm weather, I am just excited for when it does finally decide to get here…and stay for a bit! We had a couple of teaser days a week or so ago, and I got a little extra pep in my step (while also realizing how incredibly pale and ashy I am after rolling my sleeves up…)

I started a list of what I am looking forward to once the spring season does actually decide to stick:
   
cleaning out my garden boxes to prepare for new plantings

gathering nice, new, healthy soil for said boxes

organizing and deciding on plantings (maybe even draw a colorful map)

opening windows for fresh air

decluttering my home room by room (this has actually already started to happen and feels SO good!)

brightening up my front porch and spending time on it

planting the Johnny-Jump-Ups that have been sitting in their containers all winter

being outside as much as possible

soaking up the newly warm sun

taking walks with my friend and talking about everything - whether in town or on the farm

drinking water…getting hydrated

cleaning out winter clothes that I didn't wear this past season

drinking a beer on my back deck while watching the sunset

rolling the windows down on my trips to town

Those are just some things I jotted down, and I am sure to be adding more as the warmer weather sets in. I am definitely seeing a common theme...something having to do with freshness, for sure.

What are some of the things you're most excited about? I'd love to read them!

what the heck?

So, I'm sure you've all read the big techno news that's sweeping the nation (as well as my attitude towards this company that it heading up the ranks to sit with the likes of Monsanto), but it totally came as a surprise to me. What the heck is up, Google? Why?!

Google Reader was my jam. I have 243 blogs linked up to my account that I follow in hopes of reading at least a third on a daily basis. I have all them coming to my Flipboard so as not to take up too much of my downloading storage, and I can pick and choose which ones to read or skip if I'm not in the mood. The downfall is that I do not see the blog as a whole design masterpiece, but I think having access to the content is worth it. I thought it was a good relationship. I thought we could last.

Well, I guess someone thought they were too good for the likes of me and other curious-minded folk and a break up is inevitable. Nothing like a ticking time bomb to get everyone's panties in a wad. It was good while it lasted and I'm now being pushed to see what else is out there. I've been looking at Twitter feeds and shared articles on the subject, and I think for now, I am going to stick to some familiarity before I jump out into the pond: Bloglovin'.

I was an avid user of Bloglovin' about a year or so ago...well until I got my iPad and realized it took a whooooooole lot less downloading storage from my crappy, satellite internet to go about my blog reading through Flipboard. So, I put it on the back burner and rarely checked in. Guess, that's about to change! I am now officially a 'claimed blog' and I found out I had 20 followers I didn't even know about!! Woohoo!!

So, come on over, and let's see if this newly rekindled relationship is one for the books.

// Ironically, image located via general Google image search //

birthday cards: february

Well, I'm a couple days late. Speaking of, what the heck happened to February? In the blink of an eye it just came and went. I feel like I couldn't even tell you what I did if you asked! Poof!
Here are the (quite hilarious, to me) birthday cards I sent out to the February folks. They are all so fitting for the person on the other end. I thought I did a good job with these ones. Even though this was only the second month I sent out birthday cards, I absolutely love the whole process of writing a little note, addressing the envelope with some fun handwriting, adding a little washi, and then sticking the little red flag up on my mailbox.

1. Pup and Pony Press
2. Black and White and Red All Over
3. McBittersons
4. Black and White and Red All Over (cannot find link to this exact card - it was bought in a paper boutique)

Now on to find cards for the March birthdays!! So much fun!!

a nomination nod.

One of my readers tagged me in her comment as a nominee for The Leibster Award, and I thought it would be fun to participate in, even though my part is ending here. I do not have an About Me section on my blog (one will be coming at  some point), so I thought these questions were good one to get to know a little bit more about me!

So, here are 11 questions from Madiee at it must be nice to be a bird:

1) What is your favorite Movie?
Oh my gosh, I have so many. Everything from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure to Amelie to Last of the Mohicans to Little Miss Sunshine. I just don't see any way that I could narrow it down.

2) What is your favorite way to unwind after a long day?
Put a dvd or music on, clean up a little, eat a snack, and work on a fun craft project.

3) Where do you like to do your blogging?
From my couch with my pup curled up beside me. If she could get under the top layer of my skin, I think she would.

4) What kind of camera do you use?
I have a Canon Rebel XSi that's a hand-me-down from my photographer niece. But, usually my cell phone.

5) What is your favorite summer activity?
Going to the beach. Hands down.

6) What is your favorite season?
Spring. I love the newness and the freshness in nature that seems to echo itself in my attitude and outlook...and the warmer days are nothing to complain about!

7) What was your favorite childhood activity?
I loved playing Barbies with my cousin and making up their living spaces and life scenarios. The stories and drama between Barbie and Ken that we seemed to come up with was quite incredible.

8) What is your job besides blogging?
If my job was blogging, I would have been fired from every angle of the position. Otherwise, I homeschool my nephew three mornings a week, teach after-school art two afternoons a week, and keep my brother's three kids one day a week.

9) What are you wearing right now?
Oh goodness...my bright blue Hello sweatshirt from HelloHi Apparel, Gap sweatpants from college, and the most-awesomest slippers from LL Bean that I look forward to putting on ALL day.

10) Do you like where you are living?
I do, I love it. I love the fresh air and the hug from the Blue Ridge Mountains I receive every day.

11) If you could have one wish what would it be?
That all people would have made Mother Nature a priority from the earliest beginnings and done their part to take care of the earth the best they could have so that we wouldn't have to worry about chemicals, greed, and impending results of all of our wrongdoing.

Feel free to answer the same questions and link back up to me - I'd love to read your responses as well!

a little history in scrapbooking. part two.

Okay, where was I?
I was having fun messing around a little in the "newer" art of scrapbooking, with only a couple of photos and multi-layred embellishments...each page taking at least an hour to complete. Which of course, I didn't realize until I pulled my head out of the monthly kit bags I'd signed up for or a few episodes of Mad Men passed by unnoticed. I was loving the well-curated kits from Freehand Scraps (no longer in production) and this rekindled love for mixing paper, stickers, and pictures. The one aspect that I couldn't get past was all of the time spent only 1 or 2 pictures when I might have had 10-15 worthy of the spotlight. I eventually started adding more and more pictures and less and less embellishments, which was a lot less time consuming and more conducive to my needs and history with scrapbooking.
During this time, I also started getting into making minibooks of events and/or seasons, giving me a whole book dedicated to whatever I wanted it to be. Seeing an end in sight AND completing a project felt really good. I found myself actually preferring this method of memory keeping and the 12x12 method was not my go-to for scrapbooking anymore. I came across Leigh-Ann and Elise and Eva, and really connected to their style and use of this smaller space. I ordered one of Eva's Christmas mixed paper books one season and LOVED working from the kit that was put together so well with coordinating paper and embellishments. And it only took me until February to complete! ;) But, the important thing to me was that I DID complete it.

I was also curating my own 4x6 or 6x6 mixed paper books and adding those to my online shop. I didn't really put a whole lot of energy into pushing them to sell, but they did sell well when I would set up tables at local craft shows. I think it's something people like to flip through in person to think about how it can adapt to them. I wasn't blogging completing pages so people could see them in action, but I did have samples to physically look at on my table at these shows, which helped. But, in reality, I was happy to make and complete these for me, and selling was just an added perk.

This was my main method of creative memory keeping throughout the seasons and holidays of the year. Until Project Life. Oh, Project Life...how much I adore thee. To me, it was like the heavens opened. It is the perfect combo of large format, more traditional methods of scrapbooking I started doing in high school & college and the small, tangible format of a mixed paper book. Hell yes. I'm trying to remember where I first saw a Project Life layout, but I do know it was sometime in the Fall of 2011. I knew immediately that I needed to dive in, but was confused on who owned it, where could I buy it, and how much was it going to be. It wasn't until later in the year that I got it all organized, and by then they were selling out like hot cakes! Guess I wasn't the only one that caught on to awesome it was going to be for the new year!

I was finally able to get the Design A pages that I was stalking Amazon for, the Clementine core kit was not a problem to order, and I went with the more basic black binder. I hunted the internet for inspiration and found so many different ways that folks were using the products, and finally narrowing it down to those whose stye appealed to me. I love that you can adapt it to suit you. I love that you can put however much energy you want to the spreads as a whole and what each pockets holds. I love that I started the book with a two-page weekly spread and ended it with a one-page weekly spread and it didn't matter. I've seen some where every pocket was like a full scrapbook layout, and some that simply held a photo with no writing or embellishments. And they were all awesome. So, naturally, I got completely overwhelmed and thought that my spreads would never look as good as the ones I was seeing. But, I said screw it - I can do this and I dove right in, hands first...to never look back. I.love.it.



And here's to 2013, which I plan on sharing in this space on a "regular" basis. Here's a peek of my title page…I'm a big fan.


 See more about my 2012 Project Life here, here, and here.